A semiconductor device such as a LSI (Large Scale Integrated circuit) or a MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistor is manufactured by performing various processes such as etching, CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), sputtering or the like on a semiconductor substrate (wafer) as a processing target substrate. A processing method using plasma as an energy source for etching, CVD or sputtering process includes plasma etching, plasma CVD, plasma sputtering or the like.
Here, a technology related to a plasma processing apparatus for performing the plasma process therein is described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2009-302324 (Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2009-302324
Here, a general plasma processing apparatus described in the aforementioned Patent Document 1 includes a processing chamber having a cylindrical sidewall and configured to perform therein a plasma process on a processing target substrate; and a gas supply mechanism configured to supply a gas for the plasma process into the processing chamber. The gas supply mechanism supplies a gas for plasma excitation or a gas for plasma etching into the processing chamber.
A gas supply mechanism includes a gas supply member provided within the processing chamber and having a circular ring shape. By way of example, the gas supply member is provided above a holding table in order to supply the gas for the plasma process efficiently. Within the processing chamber, the gas supply member is fixed and supported by a multiple number of rod-shaped supporting members extending inwardly from an inner surface of the sidewall of the processing chamber in a diametric direction.
Here, a strong stress may be applied to the supporting members during the plasma process or at the time of installing the gas supply member. In such a case, since the supporting members are fixed to the sidewall and the gas supply member, the applied stress may be concentrated on the supporting members. As a result, replacement or maintenance of the supporting members may be frequently required, which is undesirable.